1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for handling a developing device, a developer container, and an apparatus for handling a developer, such as a developer recycling apparatus (also called a xe2x80x9cdeveloper handling apparatusxe2x80x9d), which are used in an image forming apparatus for forming an image made of powder developer such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile, a complex machine, and the like and more particularly, to a developer handling apparatus which is relatively easy to assemble, disassemble, and reuse.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus such as a printer utilizing an image forming method such as electrophotography or electrostatic recording, an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier such as a photosensitive member is developed with a powderlike developer, thereby forming an image made of the developer. The image is transferred to a recording medium, such as recording paper, directly or via an intermediate transfer member. Such an image forming apparatus is equipped with, e.g., a developing apparatus which contains and supplies the developer.
As such a development apparatus, a development apparatus having the following construction has been known. Specifically, an enclosed case (such as a housing or casing) having a storage section for storing the developer and an opening for enabling the developer passing therethrough is divided into a plurality of segments. Attachment components, including rotating members such as a development roller and a developer agitating-and-conveying rotator, are attached to the thus-divided segments. All the segments are joined together, and joints are fixed by means of welding or screwing, thereby assembling the development apparatus.
The development apparatus having the foregoing construction poses the following problems.
When the joints between the segments are fixed together by means of welding, complicated welding operations and subsequent complicated disassembly jobs are required. Further, damage is inflicted on the thus-welded joints at the time of disassembly of the joints. The workability of assembly or disassembly of the development apparatus is poor. Particularly when reuse of the development apparatus is to be considered, the damage inflicted on the development apparatus during disassembly hinders reuse of the apparatus.
In contrast, when the joints of the segments are fastened together by means of screwing, operations required for fastening or removing screws are unexpectedly troublesome, and much time is required. Further, screw holes are simple holes, and single use of such screw holes poses difficulty in reuse of the holes. Substantially as in the case where the joints are fixed through welding, the segments are not easy to assemble and disassemble. Thus, the segments are not suitable for reuse.
Incidentally, JP-A-Hei. 10-3247 describes an image formation unit. A photosensitive member, a development device, and an electrostatic charger are housed in an integral casing. Of this casing, a portion which stores and transports or moves toner and developer is divided into two segments. Of outer brims of the split segments to be fastened, portions having a bearing section and a movable section provided therein are screw-engaged together. Other portions of the outer brims of the segments to be fastened are engaged by means of engaging means comprising a claw and an opening.
Although the image formation unit is intended to improve ease of disassembly and assembly of the unit, a portion of the outer brims of the split segments is still screw-engaged. Hence, the image formation unit still suffers the same problem as that suffered by the development apparatus adopting screw-threading (i.e., difficulty in assembly and disassembly, and the image formation unit being not suitable for reuse).
As in the casing of the image formation unit, a casing made of plastic (synthetic resin) is used, and screw holes are formed in one of the two segments. Screw insertion holes are formed in the remaining segment, and the segments are screw-engaged together. In many cases, the following construction is adopted. Namely, screw threads are not formed in the screw holes beforehand. The screw holes are mere holes which are smaller in diameter than screws. When a screw is screw-threaded into any of the screw holes, a screw thread is formed in an interior wall surface of the screw hole for the first time while chipping off the interior wall surface. First screw-threading of the screw is effected well. However, once the screw has been removed, when the screw is again screw-threaded into the same screw hole, the screw thread artificially formed in the screw hole is vulnerable to corruption, and reliable fastening of the segments becomes difficult. Consequently, reliable screwing of the screw for the second time or subsequent to the second time is likely to become difficult or impossible. Consequently, when a casing adopts such screws, the casing is not suitable for re-assembly. Particularly when reuse of the casing is to be considered, difficulty in reusing the casing is a weak point.
The problem relevant to ease of assembly and disassembly of segments when a plurality of segments are assembled into a housing, such as that described in connection with the foregoing development apparatus, and the problem relevant to suitability of the housing to reuse may arise in the following apparatus which handles developer.
For example, the apparatus is a developer container (such as a toner bottle) which stores developer to be replenished to the development apparatus and is provided with a rotary member therein for agitating and transporting the stored developer. Another alternative of the apparatus is a (discarded) developer reclaim container. The reclaim container removes with a cleaning device the developer still remaining on an image carrier or an intermediate transfer member. The thus-removed developer is reclaimed by the reclaim container, and the reclaim container is equipped with a rotary member for leveling the thus-reclaimed developer. Still another alternative of the apparatus is a (deteriorated) developer reclaim container. A developer which has become old and deteriorated in the development apparatus is caused to flood, and the developer reclaim container is equipped with a rotary member for reclaiming the thus-flooded developer and leveling the thus-reclaimed developer. Yet another alternative of the apparatus is a developer transporting apparatus using a developer transport passage (a tube-like housing), the passage having provided therein a rotary member for transporting a developer.
The present invention has been conceived in view of the foregoing circumstances and primarily aims at providing a developer handling apparatus which comprises a housing including a storage section for storing a powder-like developer and an opening for enabling the developer passing therethrough and a rotary member to be attached to the housing so as to rotate in the housing, wherein even when the housing is separated into two or more segments, the segments are comparatively easy to assemble and disassemble; and when reuse of the developer handling apparatus is planned the developer handling apparatus is easy to reuse.
According to the invention, there is provided a developer handling apparatus comprising:
a casing including a storage section for storing a powder-like developer and an opening section passed the developer therethrough; and
a rotary member disposed to rotate within the casing,
wherein the casing is a structural body assembled by fixedly joining together a plurality of split housing pieces;
joining sections of at least a part of the split housing pieces are made of synthetic resin; and
the joining sections made of synthetic resin are fixedly joined together so that damage is not inflicted on the joining sections when the split housing pieces are disassembled.